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Supply Chain Digital Transformation Report 2017: Key Findings

In honor of an industry that craves efficiency, let’s get straight to the point – many supply chain organizations are not readying themselves for future digital needs or addressing their users’ needs in digital.

To better understand this, we conducted the 2017 Executing Digital Transformation report, which looked at the hurdles to and avenues for digital solutions across industries. Our research found that while supply chain organizations understand the importance of digital transformation, the industry struggles to overcome its many complexities. What’s worse, the demands of a modern supply chain only grow more intricate as stakeholders work to solve for these complexities.

When broken down, supply chain organizations see their biggest hurdles in the areas of culture, communication and data management. According to the study:

89% of supply chain organizations still rely on disparate legacy systems that impact the speed of development of new digital experiences

Just 36% of supply chain leaders are extremely confident that their organization’s audiences are accurate and well defined

Less than half (40%) of supply chain organizations have the internal expertise and resources to maintain and improve upon their organization’s infrastructure

If these findings don’t seem alarming, ask anyone vested daily in their supply chain and you’ll quickly learn how important efficient operations and communications are to this industry’s profitability. Every extra minute spent translates to dollars lost.

Unfortunately, the supply chain industry battles daily against processes and systems that are widely seen as outdated. While 94% of supply chain respondents say their organization’s leadership understands how digital can create efficiencies in daily operations, adherence to archaic solutions and practices suggests that the industry still needs updating.

Supply chain stakeholders must first and foremost be interested in creating a culture of digital transformation within their organization. Given that enthusiasm, we have the expertise and resources to connect supply chain organizations with the solutions best fit for their unique needs. From eliminating duplicate processes and single points of failure to improving core functions like real-time reporting, third-party partnerships, seamless collaboration across disparate geographies and more, supply chain organizations will be shocked by the diversity of areas digital-ready solutions can improve.